


The Hidden Star

by I_Love_Chocolate



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Cinderella Elements, Don't Like Don't Read, F/M, Israel, M/M, pro
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-06
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2018-12-17 00:25:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11840163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_Love_Chocolate/pseuds/I_Love_Chocolate
Summary: In a distant land, there lives a beautiful and intelligent young woman named Hadassah who lives under an abusive and cruel-hearted woman and her two vile daughters who long to break her pride and joy. On the other side, Prince Alfred is a man who longs to rebel against his controlling father who wants him to be the perfect prince. What will happen when these two meet?





	1. The Lonely Servant

Once upon a time in a far away land, there lived a wealthy gentleman named Jacob Amos (Ancient Judea) and his quick-witted and energetic daughter, Hadassah (Modern Israel), that he loved above all else but he longed for his daughter to have a woman's touch, for her mother died giving birth to her long ago. Eventually, he found a woman of good birth, fine dowry, and she even had two daughters of her own named Fayhaa (Female Palestine) and Musamma (Female Pakistan). For a while the family was happy until Jacob died and the woman's true colors were revealed. She humiliated, abused, harassed, and finally forced Hadassah to be a servant in her own home. Now anyone else would've turn cold and callous towards the world, but not Hadassah. She quietly worked into the long hours of the days and did the most brutal of tasks without complaint for she prayed and hoped that life will get better.

12 years later...

"HADASSAH!" the two women screamed from upstairs. "HADASSAH!" they yelled again and this got Hadassah to open her eyes. She had been moved into the darkest cellar with only a tiny flame for a warmth to brave to cold nights for she had no bed, but did she complain? Never. 

Hadassah sighed and stretched. "Time for another day," Hadassah said to herself as she grabbed her blue plaid gown and place it over her nightgown, then the gray apron with several patches, her blue handkerchief tied around her ebony-black hair, and finally a necklace with a pendant in the shape of a six-pointed star that her father had given her. The fine possession she was allowed to keep. She walked over to the bowl and sponge, and scrubbed away the cinders and ashes from her deeply tanned skin because knowing the women upstairs they would use it as yet another thing to make fun of her with. She sighed before walking up the stairs to the kitchen to begin preparing her step-family's breakfast all the while humming a song her father had taught her when he was still alive. Quietly, she began to dance around the room being careful to keep her voice quiet as the Mistress hated music.

"I wonder what made my stepmother so angry and cold," Hadassah thought to herself as she poured some tea into the three cups and then placed the tahina onto the plate, when she heard scratching at the door that led to the chickens. Giving a tiny smile, she took a piece of the leftovers from last night and opened the door for the white canine with pointed years and deep brown eyes. "Shalom, Samson," Hadassah said to the dog as he licked up the piece. "How I wish I could let you come in but the Mistress despises dogs," she said as the dog she had named Samson growled at the mention of the wicked woman who kicked him after he was begging for food.

"HADASSAH!" her stepsisters called again. 

"I have to go Samson, but stay out of trouble," Haddassah said after giving the dog a couple more pats. She then finally finished the food and brought it up to the main part of the house where he old bedroom once was before she was kicked out. She sighed for there was no point in crying about besides trying to get through the day and walked into her step-sister, Fayhaa's, bedroom. Now Hadassah will admit that Fayhaa was very beautiful with middle length black hair the color of coals, chocolate brown eyes, and lightly tanned skin that reminded Hadassah of cinnamon that her father let her have when he was alive, but her beauty did not make her personality any better. She was crude and violent who blew up at even the smallest of her occurrences like if something was misplaced or if there was a tiny tear in her clothes she would beat Hadassah and say that she wished she would be blown up or that she shouldn't have existed in the first place. "What took you so long, you filthy slut?" Fayhaa sneered as Haddassah placed the tray on her stepsister's lap.

Haddassah kept a stoic face and said, "Forgive me miss. It just took a little longer for the tea to boil." 

"Well it better not happen again or my mother will make you eat the dung of a pig," Fayhaa sneered, and Hadassah sighed and nodded only for her head to be hit in the back be a teacup. "Whoops. My hand must've slipped." She left the room and walked into the second stepsister's bedroom that had once been hers, but was now extravagantly decorated with silks and satin that to Hadassah was excessive especially for just a room you sleep in. Did she ever say anything? Of course not. It wasn't her place to argue or even speak out, so she quietly accepted it without a complaint. Oh Yahweh, how did she become this feeble, submissive baby when once she was spirited and actually joyful? She guessed that was just the 'power' of Lady Aisha.

Musaama was a woman with darker skin that was color of chocolate melted to perfection, her hair was the color of black velvet but was cut to the top of her neck, and her golden-brown eyes bore into Hadassah as she placed the tray on her lap. While not as bad as her sister, Musaama still called her "a filthy ape" and wished that she could go back to the day Hadassah was conceived and kill her mother. "Good morning, ma'am," Hadassah said as her step-sister began to eat the dish.

"Not terrible for an ash-ridden ape like you," she said and Hadassah gave a quiet nod before exiting to face the den of horrors in the third room. She remembers that when her father was still alive, she would always come to his room where he would read about different events in their religion before carrying her back to her bedroom if she became drowsy and would then sing one of her mother's lullabies until she fell asleep dreaming of the stories with her as the star. Now the room was barren and cold, for once her father died Lady Aisha ripped apart anything that even reminded Hadassah of her dear religion which Lady Aisha said was filthy and unclean. The Yahweh follower never believed her step-mother's lies, but never voiced her opinion on the subject because the punishment was often...bloody. Now the room was dark and suffocating from the Lady's cold presence, where no sunlight pierced through the windows. 

Hadassah gave a deep breath and knocked on the thick wooden door, to which her step-mother call, "Oh do come in Hadassah," the last part she said like a slur. 

"Good morning, Mistress," Hadassah greeted in a quiet voice setting the tray on her step-mother's table.

"Good morning, Hadassah," she replied, spatting the last word. Hadassah was quiet about the disrespect of her beloved name, for her father had always told her it was the true name of the lady of our benevolent Lord who had saved her people from being murdered long ago and was a name to be respected and revered by all, but whenever it was actually used by her step-family it came out like a curse.

Hadassah was about to leave before Aisha could give her any more work for the day. "Oh, Hadassah," and there it was and she was so close. "There are a few things for you to do today."

"Yes, Mistress?" Hadassah asked. 

Aisha gave a sickly sweet smile and said, "First you wash and dry the girls' laundry, then the dishes, the tapestries need to be hung again, the carpets are to be beaten-"

"But I already beaten all the-" Hadassah piped up.

"Silence, girl!" Aisha cried, instantly silencing her. "Now where was I? Oh yes. Carpets and just for extra measure do them twice over, then once you're done with that we want food on the table by six o'clock, and after that you can finish weeding the garden, dusting the chandelier, and polishing all or shoes and then you may go to bed. Now are we understood?" Aisha asked, feeling quite satisfied with the list of chores Hadassah was given, who sadly nodded.  
"Alright then. You best go get started then."

"Yes, Mistress," Hadassah replied and finally left.

She breathed a brief sigh of relief before realizing the heavyweight of her chores. Hadassah took small sigh, but said to herself, "My Lord will protect me and He will get me out of this I know He will, but I have to keep faith. But please Lord, send me an angel or even a sign so I know you still care about me." With that small prayer, the unfortunate girl headed downstairs to proceed with the ridiculous amount of work on her plate. 

Little did she know that someone else was praying for a miracle as well, so he would finally have some freedom.

Author's Note: So I know this story is...controversial like my last one, but I just wanted to bring to light the plight many maids face in Saudi Arabia who face both mental and physical abuse. But if you don't like it, well fudge you I'm not changing it.


	2. The Prince Charming

"YOUR MAJESTY! YOUR MAJESTY!" Kiku Honda, the royal butler cried as he walked through the heavily renovated corridor cutesy of Queen Marianne, that now had golden wall embedded with silver lining and marble floors beneath his feet while overhead were detailed pictures of historical moments in their kingdom's history that took months to complete. Right now, the butler was hunting down the elder prince, Alfred, who had escaped the meeting his father demanded he attend since -even as a child of five years- he had always loved to sneak off and play with the village children or roam the streets looking for an adventure, much to the annoyance of the king. "Your Majesty!" the butler continued to yell causing much attention to focus on him. He blushed from embarrassment before running off to find the rambunctious crown prince.

"Your majesty!" he angrily whispered down the hall before he felt something hit him the back of the head and he looked behind him only to crash into a blur of blue, gold, and white. He looked up to see the figure laughing and once his vision cleared up, realized that the figure was none other than Prince Alfred Kirkland, a boy with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes who had cast off his formal red coat and was left in his basic blue vest over a white dress shirt and black boots over brown pants, who was holding a strange device of wood and canvas. "Y-your Majesty?" Kiku asked, shocked.

"Oh, hey Keeks. Just testing out my new invention," Alfred said, holding out the device for Kiku to get a good look at. "I'm calling it an aeroplane and one day they will be ten times the size of this and will even carry people through the air." 

"Forgive me, my lord," Kiku began in a small voice, used to the elder prince's overexcited personality but it still unnerved him to no end. "But don't you think if we were meant to fly then we would have wings." 

"Well, Keeks, if we weren't meant to improve ourselves than we wouldn't have been given minds," Alfred said back in a teasing tone, as he looked over his 'aeroplane'.

Kiku shook his head before saying, "Please, Your Highness-"

"Oh come on Keeks, I'm Alfred. 'Your Highness' makes me sound like a big old grump like Dad," Alfred interrupted.

"Your Highness," the raven-haired man said again. "Your father is furious over your absence from the Royal Council."

"Well, that's not new," the blue-eyed prince said with a nonchalant tone. "He always gets at me for something and I really didn't want to listen to overly-entitled, rich guys complain about how hard their lives are."

Kiku was about to say something before a loud, "ALFRED KIRKLAND!" was heard from across the hall.

"Looks like Dad found about my 'break'. Welp, best to face the music. See ya later Keeks," Alfred said before running to the throne room.

\------------------------------------------

Alfred looked at the gold and ivory doors from across the hall and sighed. As much as he wanted to run away to his inventing room that Mama convinced Dad to build me as a way to keep me entertained so I won't run off and accidentally tarnish the family name. But that would only make it worse. So it'd be best to just take Dad's scolding, and then head to his room, and with that thought, the young prince put on a cheerful smile and proceeded down aisle to wear the two servants bowed before opening the heavily-decorated doors to the throne room.

The throne room was a large comfortable room with a bright red carpet that led to a platform where two wooden and velvet thrones of his parents sat with two smaller chairs with blue and red silk cushions for him and his brother (Where was he anyway?) on the left and right. The walls of the room were covered with tapestries and banners of varying colors and brilliantly made silk and the floor was of marble. On the thrones sat Alfred's parents, King Arthur and Queen Marianne, with the former looking like he is about to choke the blue-eyed prince. King Arthur was a man with sunshine-blonde hair, emerald green eyes, pale skin, and unbelievably thick eyebrows and he wore a red vest lined with gold under a black three-piece suit with matching dress shoes and on his head rested a golden crown with rubies in each point and his face in a seemingly eternal frown. On the other hand, Queen Marianne was the epitome of happiness and grace with her face in a genuine smile at seeing her husband in such a state, her golden locks were tied back in an elaborate knot, her eyes were the color of sapphires, and her skin was a nice shade of tan and being the trendsetter of the royal court her gown was equally as lovely. Today, the queen wore an off-the-shoulder blue gown with gold trimming at the hem over where the lace petticoat was revealed with a shapely crinoline laid underneath.

"Hi, Mom and Dad," Alfred shouted running up and kissing his mother on the cheek.

"ALFRED FRANKLIN KIRKLAND!" Arthur shouted at the top of his lungs. "OF ALL THE IRRESPONSIBLE, DISRESPECTFUL ACTS, YOU JUST HAD TO GO AND RUIN THE FAMILY NAME IN FRONT OF EVERY NOBLEMAN IN THE KINGDOM! YOU EMBARRASSED THE FAMILY, YOU EMBARRASSED YOUR MOTHER, AND YOU EMBARRASSED ME!"

"Arthur, deep breaths or I'll start to call you 'Black Sheep' again," Marianne said.

The king took a deep breath before turning back to his elder son, "I am sick and tired of you constantly being childish. And people wonder why I drink so much."

"The last time was hilarious. You ran up and down the street in nothing but your undergarments singing 'I'm a big boy,'" Marianne laughed.

"We swore we would never speak of that again," the blushing king said before shaking it off. "How in bloody hell are we going to get you to start acting like the future king and not mud-covered boy."

"I don't know," Alfred shrugged. He really didn't want to disappoint his father but it was just too easy since he wasn't what his father wanted from a prince. He loved his father, but he was just so damn infuriating with his expectations and rules.

"How about a wife?" a small voice piped up.

"Who said that!?" The king yelled before a pale hand rose up from the red throne where the younger prince Matthew sat holding his rare Arctic polar bear that was a gift when he was five. 

"I did Papa," he said in a quiet voice. The younger prince was a pretty almost feminine looking boy with pale blond hair with a strange curl sticking out, violet eyes, and fair skin from not leaving the castle much and on his body, he wore a red vest decorated with maple leaves, a plain white shirt, and the rest of his suit was a pale gray.

"Oh, Matthieu," the Queen said with a smile. "When did you get here?"

"I was here the whole time, Maman," he replied. 

"Really?" his father asked. "But nevermind that, Matthew is right. A bride will definitely sort you out and get rid of this ridiculous nonsense."

"Wait- B-Bride!?" Alfred cried. 

"Yes, a bride. Your mother and I were sixteen when we were wed," Arthur said.

"Oh, and we could even have a ball to help him search," Marianne enthusiastically said. "Imagine the dresses, romance, and I could finally have a daughter to dress."

"That's actually a good idea," her husband responded. "KIKU!" And suddenly a wild Kiku appeared.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" he said in a polite voice while bowing.

"Have the ballroom cleaned, the cooks prepare the finest meals, and invitations made. We are throwing a royal ball to find Prince Alfred a wife in the fortnight," Arthur responded and Kiku who looked over at Alfred for a moment before leaving. 

Alfred, who had been trying to wrap his head around the whole thing, ran out. Bride! Wife Marriage! He can't get married. He didn't even know that many girls and the girls he has met were self-entitled and bratty rich girls that only liked him because he was the prince. If he had his choice, he would want a girl with a huge heart, cared about all people, and she would be as humble as a nun. He smiled at the thought before he was brought back to reality by his father. "Remember, Alfred. You will need to be on your best behavior for the event-"at this point, Alfred had stopped listening. "ARE YOU LISTENING?"

"Best behavior, got it, pops," Alfred said before leaving.

\-------------

Alfred was quiet as he walked back into his inventing room because there was where he felt truly happy and free to be himself and not the perfect little prince his father wanted. Maybe he would've been happier had he been born a peasant free to do and go where he wanted without being under the eye of the royal guard or the judgemental peering of the public. He sighed and opened the wooden door to the workshop where scraps of metal and gear were strewn across the wooden shelves, an oak-wood bench covered with tools and incomplete gadgets, that messily were thrown onto the desk. "Hmmph," he said taking his seat and reaching for a random gadget and began to play with the mechanism. His father fought his mother for hours, before reluctantly giving in but only if his son continued with his studies and did not fail his duties. He was still annoyed and thought about the ball and the marriage. He didn't want to get married to some golddigger that would only love his title. What he truly wanted was a lover who was interested in gadgets and books, maybe she would also be sweet and like his ideas. He sighed for as long as he was the prince this was never going to happen.

Feeling depressed, he overtightened a screw and a spring smacked him on the nose. He gave a frustrated sigh and rubbed his nose when he heard the door behind him open. "Dad, I already said I was going to be-" he began before seeing his younger brother, Matthew at the door. "Did dad send you?" he asked before returning to his project.

"No. I just came to say sorry," Matthew said.

"Why did you even suggest it in the first place?" Alfred asked.

"I didn't want you to be lonely anymore," Matthew replied to which Alfred rolled his eyes. "I'll see you for dinner then." With that, the violet-eyed prince left the room.

Alfred looked around. He couldn't live confined in this palace one more hour. If he wanted a life and freedom, even for a moment, he had to sneak out and it had to be tonight.


	3. Hadassah's Day

Hadassah was quietly beating the carpet of the small amounts of dust that had collected from the last time she had done this task, all the while humming a sweet tune that her late father had taught her before his death that was supposed to be a song of hope in the darkness. She sighed at the memory before falling to the grass, her brow covered in sweat from the late morning's Summer heat and her own back-breaking work that brings to mind memories of when the manor when her dear father still was master. The manor was always filled with light and life where scholars and professors who would travel through their thick forest just to discuss philosophy and art while servants with smiles would happily wait on the men and women before the mistress came and rapidly made changes until she had to sell her late husband's bank to keep them afloat. Giving a long sigh, continuing the humming of her song before she stood up once again and grabbed carpet that had been hanging on the rack and replaced it with a brightly colored rug that might've been worth quite a bit if her stepmother would sell it, but she knew the consequences of questioning the cruel woman. Hadassah then grabbed her beater when she was stopped in place by the sound of footsteps and let her mind only focus on the only slightly dusty carpet even though she could feel the racing of her own heart rapidly pounding against her chest before hearing the sneering but calm tone of her stepmother who was now dressed in her pure black veil that covered most of her body aside from her cruel eyes. "Why, Hadassah, you still haven't finished the carpets yet?" she asked, sarcasm dripping from her wicked tongue.

Hadassah kept her eyes glued to the carpet before saying in a small voice, "You do have many carpets, Mistress." 'Too many for my taste,' Hadassah thought to herself for she knew that while they could silence her traitorous throat, they couldn't silence her own mind.

"And is that a problem?" Aisha said, walking with confidence towards the 19-year-old girl.

"No, Mistress," Hadassah said. "I just wish I had more help."

Aisha grabbed Hadassah's chin before saying in a calm but mocking voice as her own brown eyes bore into the girl's bright sapphires, "Oh, Hadassah. After your poor father died, I dressed, fed, and raised you and I would hope you would be grateful enough to at least do the housework while I keep us from living on the streets."

"I am grateful," Hadassah said, as the grip on her chin threatened to break her skin with the women's sharp nails. 

"It doesn't sound like it," Aisha said, thoroughly enjoying the sight of the blue-eyed girl's fear. "I mean I could've kicked you out onto the streets where a filthy girl like yourself wouldn't have a last a day in the cruel world, but in my good conscious I have kept you here."

"You did," Hadassah replied her voice small and weak. "Thank you." How she hated this wicked women.

Aisha let go of Hadassah, before saying, "Oh, and do clean the parlor floors. Wouldn't want them to be unpresentable," and with that Aisha left the room and Hadassah to her work.

"Yes, ma'am," Hadassah said in a meek tone, before beginning to beat the extravagant carpet and began reciting some literature to herself because like father had said that even in the worst times, one must keep a strong mind. After she finished, she knew there was no time for a break if she wanted to go to bed without any more scars or the hope to even sleep, she needed to get to work on those floors and then make dinner for the trio. With a long sigh, grabbed the basket with the rugs and carpets and headed inside where she would still have to lay them in their correct positions.

\---------------------------------------------------

The ebony-haired girl had just finished laying the rugs and carpets in their spots without an inch being off before it's time to begin on the parlor floors. She grabbed the wooden bucket and pumped some water before grabbing a brush. She walked back inside and began to scrub the seemingly spotless parlor floor when she heard the footsteps of one of the other women who resided in the house. She tried to ignore it as it wouldn't be worth it at the end of the day. She felt cold eyes bore into her very being that she tried with all her might, but she felt the ice that came from the glare chill her to the bone.

"I wonder why mother keeps a filthy ape like you around," the figure, who turned out to be Musaama, said with a sneer.

Hadassah refused to answer as she continued to scrub the floors until she decided they looked well enough for the madam before walking over to another spot that seemed not to be etched with an inch of dust.

"I'm talking to you, monkey," Musaama said, her short fuse starting give out.

Hadassah took in a deep breath and expelled all her anger into the exhale as she continued to do her chore, knowing that the abuse will only be worse if she showed any emotion to the wicked girl. She wanted to continue with ignoring her stepsister, but Musaama wouldn't have that. She stomped over and kicked the blue-eyed woman's bucket spilling the bucket all over the floor, to the hidden anger of the latter female knowing she would be blamed for it.

"You're no better than some common bitch," Musaama spat before seeing the reactionless face of Hadassah who was silently trying to dry the drenched floor, turned on her heel and left.

Hadassah was silent in her task as the taunts of her stepsister began to intrude on her mind, no matter how much she tried to remind herself that Musaama always said that to her just to break her down which unfortunately is seeming to work. Shaking her head, she begins to recite some arithmetic problems her father had gave her long ago which brought to mind another bittersweet memory of hers. It was when she was still a child and her father had laid out many complex problems out for her to solve for herself which at first startled her. She had then asked her father why he would give a 6-year-old such challenging questions, and he answered, "Because I know you, starlight. You are stubborn and have the mind of a scholar, and with those two things combined, I know you can solve them." Hadassah gave a small smile at the memory before walking over to the next area that needed cleaning.

\---------------------------------------------------

Hadassah had just finished her stepfamily's meal of chicken and potatoes and grabbed the plates to place them on a silver tray where the drinks were already placed. She grabbed the tray with both hands and headed into the dining room which was once full of life but, like the rest of the house was cast in darkness, unaware that she still had cinders doting her cheeks. She quietly walked over to the table where her stepfamily was already sitting, glaring knives into her as she the tray onto the wooden surface and she began to serve them. "At least it looks we could actually eat it, mother. And what's that stuff on your face, ape?" 

Hadassah, at first, was confused before she touched her cheeks and saw that it was now covered in ashes. "I suppose, it's the ashes from the fire."

"With those you like a cinder-wench," Musaama added as she stuck a fork into her meal.

"Or a Cinderass," Fayhaa said laughing at her stepsister who was doing her best to keep strong as they were joined by their mother who was laughing like a child.

Hadassah walked away leaving them to their meal and jeers at her expense that she did her best to ignore them. Once she was back in the kitchen, she fell to the ground and tried to remember the song her father sang to her that always made her feel better and that it was just a name in comparison to what she was usually forced to endure at their hands. Then again, Hadassah was a sacred name to her and her family and hearing it corrupted in such a vulgar way broke her heart. She stood up and cleaned the cinders off her cheeks and from out of the corner of her eyes, she saw some pork on the counter that was her only meal that she was allowed to eat, even though they know that she wasn't allowed to eat it. She sighed before grabbing the plate and giving a small whistle and Samson came trotting up, his tongue panting at the sight of the flesh. She gives a small smile before putting the plate on the ground, which the dog began to happily eat as Hadassah went to grab her basket for the berries and roots that would serve as her meal for the day. 

Once in the forest, she began to pick the berries she knew were safe to eat and put them in her basket as the cold night chilled her body to the bone, actually making her crave the tiny flame from her bedroom/cellar. She shook off the cold and continued to grab the food before looking out into the forest opening where the path that led to the village was. She could run away with Samson to the village where she might be able to get a job as a maid that actually paid until she could afford a house of her own and maybe some books until she studied enough to go to school and become a banker like her father. She shook her head at the fantasy and continued her gathering and eating but as she continued deeper into the forest, she tripped over something. Shocked at first but quickly recovering, Hadassah looked behind trying to see what she tripped over. Or rather whom.


	4. Alfred's Night Out

Kiku walked into the elder prince's inventing room where the prince sat fiddling with his 'aeroplane'. "Your Highness, dinner is served," the butler said in his usual monotone.

Alfred looked up from his project before smiling and saying, "I'll be right there and please, its Alfred." Kiku nodded at his prince before leaving, with the door wide open for anyone to see the prince's projects haphazardly scattered around the workshop. Alfred made sure that he had everything before running to the dining room where his father, mother, and brother were already eating their meals of meat and veggie stuffed crepes, and some sort of foul-smelling block? 'Dad probably was in the kitchen, again," Alfred thought before crying, "YAY! FOOD!" With that, he fell into his chair as a servant served him a meal of beef and vegetables which he then proceeded to shove into his mouth.

"Chew like a human being, boy!" Arthur shouted at his older child.

"Thorry paps," Alfred said with his mouth full.

"And don't talk with your mouth full like some savage," Arthur haughtily said and then took another elegant bite of her meal of bricks? Whatever floats the King's boat. 

Anyway, Alfred was daydreaming about his excursion into the outside world. Ever since he was a child, his father had kept him inside by telling him that as the Crown Prince, it was his job to study and learn to be the next ruler when he passed away. Now, of course, he wanted to be a great king and hero to his people but did that mean he had to be locked away all his life? Even when he was a child, he was constantly surrounded by guards or tutors (save those few times he was able to escape) so that he could start his work as crown prince. Secretly, he wanted to be a knight and be a hero to rescue fair maidens and gentle youths like the ones in his storybooks. He sighs at his fantasy before going back to hurriedly eating his meal while his father muttered something about 'manners' that was most likely directed at his older child.

He finally finished his meal and was about to get up when a servant came in holding a silver tray with several envelopes laid side by side on it. She walked up to the Queen's seat and set the tray down in front of her before curtseying before walking away to do her chores. "Oh, good, the invitations are ready."

"Already?" Alfred said in shock. They'd only come up with the idea for the ball in the late morning and it was only six o'clock, so how in the world did they complete the invites that quickly?

The Queen nodded happily. "Nothing stays hidden in this castle very long, and the whole of the staff were ecstatic when they heard," she continued. 'Ecstatic to marry me to their daughters they mean', Alfred thought to himself as his mother continued to talk about the ball that was happening within the fortnight while the prince just played with an uneaten pea that he had left on his plate. "It will be absolutely wonderful and I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time," Marianne said to which the prince rolled his eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes at your mother, young man," Arthur scolded to which Marianne gave a good-hearted chuckle.

"You weren't a perfect angel when you were his age either, mon amour," Marianne said with a smirk to which her husband scowled at. The queen then turned to her elder child and said, "Why don't you take one to look over. Maybe it will make you more excited." Alfred could care less about the ball but his mother did just defend him so he did as she said and put the envelope inside his vest. 

After quickly finishing his meal, the elder prince excused himself from the table, quite set on going on his adventure but not without overhearing his father say, "You're much too easy on him Marianne. He'll never grow into his position if you keep babying him." At the statement, Alfred looked down in shame for a moment before quietly shutting the door behind him. With a little headshake to clear his father's words, the prince headed for his red, white, and blue quarters to grab a few things including a plain leather jacket lined with fur at the collar.

Sitting on his bed, he impatiently waited until everyone had gone to bed before tiptoeing out of his bedroom only to see some guards make their way through the corridor. It was at times like these, Alfred wished he was more like his brother who could be invisible whenever he wanted. Even when they were children, Alfred was the one causing all the trouble which led to his father scolding him the most while Matthew could disappear or went ignored if he made a mess. He shook off the memory as he dodged the guards who, thankfully, walked right past his hiding spot which was one of the new marble columns that his mother had commissioned for the renovations. The prince then saw his chance to make a run for one of the glass doors that lead to a balcony when the guards had their backs turned. Silently as he could he opened the glass door and snuck out into the chilly night air where the stars shined with a twinkling, brilliant light and the moon being large and almost ethereal looking as it cast a mysterious glow upon the sleeping kingdom which Alfred took a moment to breathe in the chilled and moist air before climbing off the balcony. He then began to climb down the bricks and began to sneak through the moonlit garden and past the patrolling night guards, before slipping into the stables where the helpers had fallen asleep against piles of hay which he gave a sigh of relief at. Quietly as he could, he woke his brown and black mare who whinnied in anger at having been woken up.

"Come on, Liberty! We're gonna get out of here for the night," Alfred cried before covering his mouth, before checking to see if the stable hands had awakened. Luckily, they didn't. Alfred, relieved, then began to silently put Liberty into her gear and he quietly led her into a trot while avoiding the guards and the late-night servants. Luckily for the fleeing crown prince, Liberty seemed to understand her rider's intentions and tried to keep her large footsteps as quiet as possible until they were able to reach the hidden gate which was a secret passage that Alfred's ancestors had used in times of invasions. Cautiously, the prince dismounted from the mare and walked towards the vine-covered door. He remembered when he and his brother were still children, they had explored the castle grounds until they found the passage. Matthew had been very cautious but Alfred, the ever impulsive, began to use the ancient passage as an escape from his duties (similar to right now). As usual, his father found out and forbid him from using the passage again but Alfred's never been good at listening to orders. Especially from his father.

Once he was done, he remounted Liberty and guided her through the passage until they made it into the quietly sleeping city. "WoooHooo!" Alfred cried and Liberty sped up, her hooves pounding against the dirt road of the quietly sleeping town as she sped into a trot. As for Alfred, he felt truly free in the freezing air, the wind in his hair, and no fathers breathing down his neck. Yes, this was true freedom. 

Breathing a sigh of happiness, Alfred directed Liberty towards the forest where the darkly lit where she sped t full power until the leaves tickled their chilled bodies and the branches scraping the rider's head. "Thanks for your help girl," Alfred told Liberty, petting her neck. The mare gave ruffled her head in acknowledgment. Alfred smiled as the two continued to peacefully trot through the dark forest where the crickets chirped and the leaves whistled when the wind blew through. 

'Nothing horrible could happen,' Alfred thought to himself as the run continued. Unfortunately, for him, something bad did happen. Shouldn't have jinxed himself. He felt Liberty trying to buck him off as he desperately tried to calm her but through the intense actions and the prince's racing pulse, only the worse could happen. And the worse did happen. Alfred was thrown from Liberty's saddle when she was startled by some sort of nocturnal creature and onto the hard, cold ground with Liberty taking off. At first, he tried to move but he felt overwhelming pain in his sides and arms which caused him to land face first. He felt his consciousness give way and began to wonder if anyone would come to his rescue until he remembered that he was the hero and heroes rescued, not be rescued. Even with this mindset though, he started to feel his own consciousness give way and his eyes shut, completely alone. Well, not exactly alone.


End file.
